When I went to Airborne School some of the female ABN candidates would really jump in more ways than one. I suspect Ft. Benning is not the same or is the just the same. I have not been back. This is all for fun but I will add that many from my OSUT who went Ranger and other Army Combat Fields are eternalized by giving all from Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq and all in between.
I dated a gal back in college (1982 or so) that wanted to get into the army. I helped her train for her PT tests. She went to some summer thing at Fort Benning for Airborne - I don’t think it was the “real” thing - just a few weeks or a month to get the taste of it???
She said she always got the brunt of it - she was one of the few gals there at the time - but she was tough and took it. I recall something about push-ups in the mud - and having to get her face right down in it.
She ended up making a career of the Army - not Airborne - probably as an engineer of some sort (we were at an engineering school).
My brother tells the story from training of the guy next to him getting the grenade caught in the strap of his helmet. My brother grabbed the helmet and entangled grenade and threw it all over the side.
He also told the story of when the DI asked who had a driver’s license. He and others raised their hands - thinking they would get to drive the truck around for supplies or whatever.
“Okay - you three. Take those wheelbarrows, drive them over to the gravel pile and fill them up and drive them over to the site.”
I used to work for a guy that would have made a great DI - but that probably doesn’t count! Thanks to all of you that have served.
I went to Airborne School in ‘88, too. We had a female lieutenant in our class who had ran track events in the ‘84 Olympics (unbeknownst to some of the cadre). One of the black hats made the mistake of promising to smoke her on the PT track :)